buickanddeere
Super Member
Using the wrong oil in the winter.
Cold weather starting and idleing?
- Thread starter devildog1
- Start date
Using the wrong oil in the winter.
sld
Veteran Member
Maybe, but the hyd sump is filled with what Ford specifies. Don't think the manual lists anything different for options.
I've owned the tractor since 1986 and it still runs like new so I don't think I am hurting it at all.
Captain Dirty
Platinum Member
I could tell you what I do; those who do the same would say "Good Man"; those who do differently would say "He has his head wedged."
I do note the following:
The link given in Post #5 has the word "Car" in the title, the word "truck" appears only in the first paragraph. All the discussion is directed toward gasoline engines which makes me feel they meant "[light] truck." Any article in the popular press should activate your BS detector. Thank you ray66v and crazyal.
Captain Dirty
I do note the following:
The link given in Post #5 has the word "Car" in the title, the word "truck" appears only in the first paragraph. All the discussion is directed toward gasoline engines which makes me feel they meant "[light] truck." Any article in the popular press should activate your BS detector. Thank you ray66v and crazyal.
The old conventional wisdom was to keep diesels running. Some years ago I noted UPS drivers shut off the engine even for the couple of minutes it took to walk 50' to my door, drop a package, and walk back. Presumably, the boys with the sharp pencils at UPS know about fuel costs, engine longevity, maintenance and replacement costs and instructed their drivers not to idle. (Not necessarily on topic as the UPS truck engine is warm but relevant to extended idling.)
Captain Dirty
Rustyiron
Super Member
bdog, is freezing temps in the great state of Texas the same as it is here? (below 32*) :laughing:
Just "razzin" ya brother, I missed a chance to visit your state years ago and regret it. It's just an image in my mind that Texas is hot all the time, then I have to remind myself how friggin big it is, north/south & east/west.:thumbsup:
Haha surely not as cold as up there but I live in the panhandle and it does get fairly cold. A couple of weeks ago we had three days in a row with single digit lows and highs that did not get above freezing. Now if you are down by the coast it does not get cold very often at all. I had a friend from down there and he never saw snow in his life until he moved up here to go to college.
NewfieDan
Silver Member
Up in northern Alberta, and farther north the diesels run continually, day and night. If they were to get shut off, they wouldn't start in the morning. The big shovels I used to work on also never got shut off unless we had to. Even a simple oil change required the use of an external heater to get them going after only a couple hours downtime in cold weather.
I have been in Alberta for 25+ years. Take my word for this, even with a block heater your vehicle does not magically blow warm air on start up. They only heat a small portion of the engine block. The engine does warm up a little faster with one , but you do not have instant heat. For instant heat you want an inline coolant heater, not a block heater.
As for my equipment, I let the diesel in both my tractor and my pickup warm up. As another person posted, there is much more to think about than just the cylinder walls. I like to see where I am going, not to mention the transmission, differentials and hydraulic fluid in the tractor.
As a side note, my truck is almost 14 yrs old with over 200k on it, and my tractor is relatively new at only 7yrs old with low hours, and both run like new.
I have been in Alberta for 25+ years. Take my word for this, even with a block heater your vehicle does not magically blow warm air on start up. They only heat a small portion of the engine block. The engine does warm up a little faster with one , but you do not have instant heat. For instant heat you want an inline coolant heater, not a block heater.
As for my equipment, I let the diesel in both my tractor and my pickup warm up. As another person posted, there is much more to think about than just the cylinder walls. I like to see where I am going, not to mention the transmission, differentials and hydraulic fluid in the tractor.
As a side note, my truck is almost 14 yrs old with over 200k on it, and my tractor is relatively new at only 7yrs old with low hours, and both run like new.
jack707
Veteran Member
I let it warm up a little more when it's cold single #s
sld
Veteran Member
There is probably only around 100 hours on that fluid but it was last changed a few years ago. The 1210 is pretty much only used for snow and pulling trailers in/out of the back.
It works fine after warming up and I've never seen any moisture on the dip stick. It lives in an unheated garage and doesn't see real cold temps but the few times a year that we get the arctic blasts...which usually coincide with snow.
That said, it wouldn't hurt to get another 5 gallon pail and change it again. Time flies!
When I got my 3930 (used), I went through all the fluids. Hyd fluid looked great on the dipstick, but I changed it anyway - glad I did. From what came out the bottom, I suspect mine has a sump area (aside from the filter) that collects "stuff", including moisture - sure looked nasty once it was in the drain pail.
I used Chevron 1000. While it's not marketed as a synthetic, it has a -44F Pour Point.
https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/PDSDetailPage.aspx?docDataId=77320&docFormat=PDF
Fluids have gotten better, but I'd say Winters here have gotten worse. We used to get one thaw mid-Winter when I was young, now they seem to come every 2 or 3 weeks - all that moisture in the air+wide temperature swings are rough on machinery, and everything else.
Rgds, D.